New Treatment for Allergies Shows Promise

Precinical studies have shown promising results for a new allergy therapy based on Notch, a cell surface protein able to switch off an immune response to a specific allergen.

By inducing antigen-specific regulatory T cells to re-direct the immune response, an antigen is presented to the immune system in the presence of a Notch stimulator. In addition to switching off the allergic response, the body learns to tolerate the antigen so that future contact does not result in the mounting of an allergic response. In the preclinical studies, treatment with a Notch stimulator/dust mite antigen combination delivered by needle-free, particle-mediated delivery resulted in a significant modification of the immune response.

The new approach was developed by Lorantis Ltd. (Cambridge, UK). The delivery system was supplied by PowderJect Pharmaceuticals Plc (Oxford), which is developing a broad range of vaccines based on its delivery technology.




Related Links:
Lorantis
PowderJect